


AC2014 [14]: A Condensed Christmas

by twotenths



Series: F1 Advent Challenge 2014 [11]
Category: Formula 1 RPF, Formula E RPF
Genre: Advent Challenge 2014, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2014-12-15
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2779169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twotenths/pseuds/twotenths
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ready?”</p>
<p>Karun looks up at Bruno, who is already dressed in his civvies, jangling the rental car keys in his hand. He’s sat at the makeshift pitwall in the garage, examining the timing screen with interest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	AC2014 [14]: A Condensed Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> A day late but eventually uploaded! Part two to Day 13: Lucky.

“Ready?”

Karun looks up at Bruno, who is already dressed in his civvies, jangling the rental car keys in his hand. He’s sat at the makeshift pitwall in the garage, examining the timing screen with interest.

“Hmmm,” he says, “Not quite. I’d rather still be out there to be honest.”

The cars are still whistling around the track, but Mahindra have got the data they wanted from the test, and are packing up.

“Stop kicking yourself,” Bruno says sternly, “You weren’t the only one to be caught out by the high kerbs. It’s a blip, you can get rid of this result anyway. And,” he adds with a grin, “As one of the driver representatives you can lead the petition to get rid of the high kerbs and improve the suspension!”

Karun smiles, getting up from his stool which is promptly swiped by a mechanic to load into a shipping crate. “You put forward an excellent case.”

“I know,” Bruno says with a grin, “Now go and get changed, we’ve got a plane to catch.”

***

“What are you doing?” Bruno mumbles, grumpily, as Karun climbs into the passenger seat, nose practically glued to the screen of his phone.

“Texting Oriol,” he replies, not looking up at the weary Brazilian.

“About what?”

“Sausage kerbs, like you said!”

Bruno groans. “Can’t you drive?” he wheedles pathetically, “I didn’t get any sleep on the plane, I’m so tired!”

“That’s because you sat in the aisle seat and people kept hitting you on the way past,” Karun says, unsympathetically. “You volunteered to sit there!”

“Please?”

Karun looks up at the Brazilian who is pouting and giving him puppy dog eyes, albeit under heavily drooping eyelids.

“Fine,” he relents, getting out of the car and switching over to the driver’s side.

“Thanks,” Bruno mumbles sleepily, “Just don’t hit any kerbs on the way, yeah?”

Karun narrows his eyes at Bruno, who is grinning drowsily in the passenger seat. “Dickhead,” he says, but there’s no real venom behind it, just as there was no malice in Bruno’s joke, “Just for that, I’m going to treat you to some proper Urban Indian driving!”

Bruno pales; he’s been to Delhi and the experience was without a doubt the scariest he’s had in a car.

Karun laughs, and starts the car.

***

Bruno wakes up abruptly. He blinks blearily and looks around; the car is off, Karun has gone, and—

He’s home at last.

***

“Bruno!”

“Mãe!” He rushes over to his mother, hugging her tightly. She reciprocates and for a while it’s just the two of them holding each other swaying slightly, until she clips him around the ear.

“Ow! What was that for?” he yelps, covering his stinging ear.

“Karun says you have been teasing him for crashing yesterday!” Karun smiles up at him from the table, already eating Christmas dinner with his sister, who pauses long enough to blow Bruno a kiss, before turning back to her turkey.

“Well he gives as good as he gets,” Bruno grumbles back, taking his seat at the table, “How long were you going to leave me in the car for?”

“We were just about to come and get you!” Bianca says.

“Yeah, I’d already got a picture of you drooling on yourself, so I figured you’d been punished enough!” Karun snickers.

Bruno rolls his eyes as he grabs a turkey leg and begins to pile food onto his plate. In truth, he’s not very annoyed at all. He was dreading the formal introduction of Karun to his family (as though they hadn’t met before!) and this has taken all the tension out of the situation nicely. And he’s glad to see how easily Karun has slotted into his family, laughing and joking with his sister, even trying out his terrible Portuguese. It makes everything .. easier.

They’re never had Christmas together before, and this was their only opportunity, even if it was nearly two weeks early. They both obviously wanted to spend actual Christmas day with their families, so Bruno had invited Karun to Brazil to meet his family and have a condensed Christmas. Bruno smiles at Karun, who was protesting vociferously as his mother slid another slice of chocolate cake onto his plate, but didn’t _actually_ stop her, and picked up his fork again with glee. Carbohydrates: the crack of racing drivers worldwide.

“Come on!” Bianca says, jumping up from the table when everyone had finished, “Presents!”

“What?” Bruno mumbles through a mouthful of cake, being dragged into the living room by his sister.

“It’s Christmas!” his mother says, “We have to have presents!”

“You didn’t give us a lot of warning!” Bruno protests, “We won’t have anything to give you!”

“Speak for yourself,” says Karun, coming into the room with a handful of presents, “I came prepared!”

“Oh Bruno, you are terrible,” his mother admonishes with a light smack on his arm. “Bianca and I can just unwrap the Christmas presents you got for us for Christmas day—“

“I did?”

Bianca smiles at Karun. “He’s terrible, he forgets every year, so we nick his card and buy ourselves presents from him, it’s a lot easier! Do you want his PIN?” Karun laughs as Bruno aims a kick at his sister.

“But that does mean you’ve got nothing to give to Karun ..” she continues, musing to herself.

Bruno does have something to give to Karun, but he’s suddenly seized by nerves—what if it goes wrong?

“Why don’t you give him the gift we got for you to give to Tio Leo?” Bianca suggests. Bruno frowns in confusion at the convoluted sentence.

“Yes!” his mother exclaims, “I’m sure he will like that!”

Karun looks at Bruno who just shrugs.

They sit around the Christmas tree and Bianca distributes the gifts. Both Viviane and Bianca gush happily over the beautiful necklace and earrings Karun had bought for them, and talk loudly about how thoughtful Bruno has been this year with his gifts. Bruno laughs at both of them, until he’s reminded that he’s expected to buy them more presents for Christmas day too, and he has to wrack his brain to think of what to get. Karun seemed to do a good job, so maybe he will ask him. Bruno’s family got him a stylish, leather travel document wallet and a Kindle preloaded with some of his favourite motorsport books. He jumped up and hugged them both, a huge grin on his face. “Bruno’s” gift to Karun is a bottle of cachaça and some aftershave. It’s probably not to Karun’s taste at all, but he leans over and gives him a hug anyway, kissing him on the cheek discreetly. Bruno blushes as his mother and sister giggle, and he promises Karun to get him a proper gift in the New Year. His present from Karun is a “Build your own Robotic Arm” kit, and Karun laughs at the way his face lights up, and he has to be prevented by all of them from starting it now.

“Sorry about all this,” Bruno says after his mother and sister have gone to bed, “I didn’t realise they would go all out!”

“It’s okay, I loved it,” Karun replies, stretching out on the sofa, “Even if I didn’t get a present from you!”

Bruno sits with his mouth open, unable to say the words. “You okay?” Karun asks, looking slightly concerned, “I was only kidding!”

The moment’s gone, so Bruno shakes his head and chuckles. “I don’t know, it’s been such a long day! I think I’m tired.”

“Me too. Bed?”

“Sure,” Bruno says, yawning as he pads his way over to the stairs. He turns back to see Karun looking hesitant. “Oh you’re sleeping with me, it’s fine, Bianca has already teased me relentlessly.”

Karun falls into step with him, “Oh good. It’s probably because you look so adorable when you blush, idiot.”

***

“What time is your flight?”

Karun shifts under his arm, nuzzling at his slightly sweaty chest. “Too early,” he mumbles in reply, “I don’t want to go.” He tightens his arm around Bruno’s waist.

“I don’t want you to go either.”

“My parents probably wouldn’t mind if I stayed. Enzo on the other hand ..”

Bruno laughs, pushing damp curls off his forehead. “I’ll miss you.”

He sighs. “I’ll miss you too.”

“I’ll drive you to the airport tomorrow,” Bruno says pulling the duvet a little higher.

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. I’m not going to see you again until January.”

Karun shifts slightly to look up at him with a sleepy smile. “Thanks. I expect you to Skype me when you’ve got the robot arm working y’know.”

“Your journey is going to take forever, I’ll have it finished before you get home!”

“Yeah, probably. Nerd.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

A few contended minutes pass before Bruno speaks again. “Karun?”

He’s asleep. Another opportunity wasted.

***

They’re sitting in the car park, hugging each other tightly, trying not to accidentally lean on the horn like they had the last time they had parted. They had terrified a couple of passers-by and had laughed for so long they both nearly missed their flights.

“I should go,” Karun mumbles into Bruno’s neck. He sighs as he draws back, looking at him with a sad smile. “I’ll see you in January.”

“Wait!” Bruno says, and Karun pauses, his hand on the door handle. Again, _again,_ the words won’t come. He reaches out to cup Karun’s face, kissing him long and slow, nibbling on his lip, and pressing their foreheads together. Karun looks very pleasantly surprised when they break apart. “Bye Karun.”

He squeezes his hand tightly, before letting go and climbing out the car, retrieving his bags from the backseat. “Bye Bruno.”

As he disappears, briefly waving a hand in farewell, Bruno pulls the ring box out of his pocket and quietly berates himself for not having the guts to ask him. _Next year .._


End file.
